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VIETNAM AVIATION Early Army Aviation in Vietnam The Vietnam conflict had a huge impact on helicopter development and use. An entire new generation of helicopters saw service there. In December 1961, elements of the 8th and 57th Transportation Companies (Light Helicopter) arrived at the Port of Saigon.
H-21 Shawnees fly in formation over South Vietnam, circa 1962. The 8th and 57th flew CH-21 Shawnee helicopters to support and advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) soldiers. Within days of their arrival, both units were in operations moving ARVN forces into combat. It was quickly evident that the climate and weather conditions of Vietnam had negative affects on the CH-21. The Shawnee was underpowered, limited in range and in need of defensive armament. Even with its limitations, the helicopter proved to be the perfect tool for circumnavigating the rough and impassive terrain in Vietnam. By the end of 1962, three more Transportation Companies - the 33rd, the 81st and the 93rd - arrived to boost the lift support.
Pilots of the 33rd Transportation Company stand in front of a Shawnee just prior to departing for Vietnam, 1962.
En route to Vietnam on the USN CROATAN, 1962
As US presence in South Vietnam grew, so did the helicopter fleet. Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Companies (UTTH) were issued new UH-1B Huey helicopters. The Hueys were armed with weapons systems and dedicated as fire support for the CH-21 companies.
The new Huey helicopter quickly became the aircraft of choice. While the UH-1B carried fewer troops, the new turbine engines provided greater power and longer range than the CH-21. By the end of 1964, all CH-21s were replaced by UH-1B Hueys.
Hueys
from the 118th Aviation Company line up for takeoff on the
airstrip at
H-21s over rice paddies, Vietnam, 1963.
Flight line of the 33rd Transportation Company
* * * ATTACK AT AP BAC On January 2, 1963, a major operation was launched by the ARVN 7th Division supported by helicopters from the 93rd Transportation Company (Light Helicopter) and armed UH-1Bs from the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company. The mission was to sweep a suspected Viet Cong command center. The objective was heavily defended, and enemy spies had alerted the NVA forces who were waiting when the ARVN troops arrived. As the ARVN troops approached, they came under heavy fire from a tree line and called for reinforcements. Ten H-21 Shawnee helicopters from the 93rd began unloading South Vietnamese troops near the ARVN soldiers and pounded the tree line with artillery fire. The enemy forces were well hidden and waited out the barrage. When the 93rd approached for the fourth time to unload more troops within 200 yards from enemy bunkers, they were instantly engulfed in withering fire. One H-21 was quickly shot down, and as another aircraft swept in to rescue the downed crew, it, too, was shot down and its crew chief killed. Two more H-21s were badly damaged and landed further away in the field. The armed Hueys immediately flew in and launched rockets and machinegun fire into the tree line. The NVA held firm and returned fire. One Huey attempted to rescue the downed crews and was also shot down, losing one crew chief in the crash. A frantic US advisor demanded that ARVN forces enter the attack, but they refused to engage the determined foe. By days end, a record seven US helicopters had been shot down and two crewmembers killed while several wounded crewmembers remained trapped on the field of battle. The enemy withdrew under cover of darkness and remaining crews were all rescued. The next day maintenance recovery teams from the 93rd, 80th Cargo Helicopter Field Maintenance Detachment, 45th Transportation Battalion and 611th Transportation Company (DS) all braved sniper fire to recover the downed aircraft.
Two
H-21s of the 93rd Trans Helicopter Co shot down.
Both H-21Cs of the 93rd and the UH-1B of the UTT positioned where they fell when shot down. The enemy was in the treeline in the background.
Commemorative stamp issued by Vietnam about the attack at Ap Bac. * * * With the increasing role of helicopters in the conflict, Transportation companies were renamed to reflect their increased role in troop movements and their secondary role in supply. 8th Transportation Co (Light Helicopter) to the 117th Aviation Co (Airmobile Light) 33rd Transportation Co (Light Helicopter) to the 118th Aviation Co (Airmobile Light) 81st Transportation Co (Light Helicopter) to the 119th Aviation Co (Airmobile Light) 57th Transportation Co (Light Helicopter) to the 120th Aviation Co (Airmobile Light) 93rd Transportation Co (Light Helicopter) to the 121st Aviation Co (Airmobile Light)
THE RISE OF ARMY AVIATION By March 1965, when US forces began arriving in increasing numbers, large scale units were dedicated to the new airmobile tactics made possible by the helicopter. The US 1st Cavalry Division became the first airmobile division to arrive in country. It was followed by the 1st Aviation Brigade and other major aviation commands to control the increasing roles of Army aviation.
Other aircraft were entering the fleets. These included the CH-47 Chinook and the CH-54 Tarhe "Skycrane." These larger aircraft provided for larger missions moving troops and supplies, or in recovery operations.
Machine
gun with C-ration can used to keep the rounds from binding, and a
makeshift auxiliary ammunition box with 1500 rounds. “Never could have
too much ammo,” said Spec 4 Anthony R. Lazzarini, Company A (Little
Bears), The Transportation Corps maintained a critical role in Army aviation by providing advanced maintenance support for the aviation units. Every aviation battalion was augmented with a TC Aviation Detachment whose primary mission was to provide critical maintenance support.
One of the most important missions was to recover and repair downed aircraft. It proved to also to be the most dangerous. Maintenance teams were required to spend prolonged periods of time in clearly hostile areas, determining whether to repair the aircraft, or prepare for an aircraft evacuation.
ARMY FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT IN VIETNAM One of the most overlooked and under-reported aspects of Army aviation is the fixed wing element. Army airplanes were barred from carrying weapons and restricted in size and weight by agreement with the Air Force. However, they did provide depot level maintenance for Army aviation, logistical supply support and fixed wing support throughout the country.
Above,
the 388th Trans Co maintenance hangar in Vietnam.
Army airplanes performed intelligence, signal, liaison, scouting, and cargo missions. Unlike helicopter units, fixed wing aviators often found themselves spread out in small numbers across Vietnam. The 73rd Aviation Company had 32 L-19 Bird Dogs spread out to 15 different airfields.
Army aircraft were small and able to use landing strips that were unusable by larger aircraft flown by the Air Force. They were also less maintenance intensive than helicopters. Some of the early Transportation companies replaced their H-13 Sioux helicopters with the L-19/O-1 Bird Dog because they proved more capable in the Vietnam environment.
An L-19 of the 93rd Transportation Company at Soc Trang airfield, 1963.
The largest of the Army planes, the CV-2 Caribou, routinely landed on short, unimproved landing strips. In supply missions, the airplanes provided a vital link to the remote outposts that were unable to be realistically supplied any other way. In 1966, the CV-2 was transferred to the Air Force, followed soon after by the L-19 Bird Dog. Although this was a blow to Army fixed-wing aviation, it opened the door for an increasing variety of rotary-wing aircraft.
The 124th Transportation Terminal Command area at Cam Ranh Bay. This location allowed cargo discharged from vessels to be loaded onto Caribou aircraft and flown out to forward areas.
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